Floor-scrubbing machine



F. s. FLOETER -FLOOR SCRUBBING MACHINE Filed Feb. 14. 1925 4 SheetsSheet 1 Dec. 11, 1928. 1,694,937 S. FLOETER I FLOOR SCRUBBING MACHINE Filed Feb. 14, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IDDDID) 1 1 E, L

' 411mm II,

Dec. 11,1928.

F. S. FLOETER FLOOR SCRUBBING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet Filed Feb. 14; 1925 Dec. 11, 1928. 1,694,931

F. S. FLOETER FLOOR SCRUBBING MACHINE Filed Feb. 14, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet. 4

Patented Dec. 11, 1928.

"UNITED ST A 'ljES FREDERICK S. FLOETER, 0F SAGINAW, MICHIGAN.

FLOOR-SCRUBBING MACHINE.

Application filedFebruary 14, 1925. Serial No. 9,134.

This invention is a floor scrubbingmachine. The objects are to provide a scrubbing machine that will pick up water and dirt from the floor by a novel means, namely, two

cylindrical floor brushes disposed parallel and close together and rotated at high speed, one running clockwise and the other counter clockwise, the adjacent peripheries traveling together and with velocity suflicientto project the dirt and water vertically upward with considerable force in the form of a sub stantially flat jet.

The brushes arranged and operating in thisma'nner liftthe water without additional suction means or any elevating devices.

ceptacle.

A further object is to provide a, deflecting or baffling means above the brushes, whereby the upward jet, after having risen clear of the brushes, is checked and diverted to a dirt re- A'still further object is to provide means in the dirt receptacle for separating most of and extending around the edges of the openthe dirt from'the water'and to provide a device whereby the used water, or part of it,

may at will be flowed upon the floor and used ing the floor while it is being scrubbed, the

wiping device being in the form of a squeegee or wiper that automatically contacts with the floor when the machine is propelled in one direction, say, backward, and lifts clear of the floor when traveling in the opposite direction, i. e., forward. I

My improvement also includes the construction of the casing of the machine so that the brushes and wiper can be adjusted to bear more or less closely upon the floor and to make the brushes and their driving mechanism easily accessible; also to afiord easy access to the dirt receptacle for cleaning. V

With the foregoing and certain other objects in view, which will appear later in the specifications, my invention comprises the devices described and claimed and the equivalents thereof.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the machine. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the dirt receptacle.

Fig 3 is a longitudinal section through the machine. r v

Fig. 4 is a top plan view, the dirt receptacle in place, the cover of the casing partly broken away and the lid removed.

. means of the valve.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the front part of the machine, the lid raised;

F1g. 6 is a diagrammatic view of the scrubbmg brushes, showing their action on the 3 dirt and water.

'Fig. 7 is a vertical section through the brushes, showing a modified form of the device.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged section'on line18- 8v of Fig. 4.

Fig, 9 is a section on line 99 of Fig. 8. 7 As is clearly shown in the drawings, the machine comprises the casing 1 mounted on a palr of vertically adjustable side wheels 2 and a caster 3, and is adapted to be pushed back and forth by means of a handle 4.

The casing carries an electric orother motor 5 operatively connected to drive a pair of cylindrical scrubbing brushes 6,. 6.

. Above the brushes is a removable lid 7, and

received'in the rear end of the casing l is a drawer or dirt receptacle 8.

In the top of the casing, above the brushes,

ing of the removable lid 7 is a trough 9 arranged to discharge into the receptacle 8.

v The dirt receptacle is, as stated, preferably in the form of a removabledrawer, near the bottom of which is a drain or flush valve 10 adapted to be operated by a foot lever 11, as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4..

V In the upperpart of the receptacle is a suitable screen or perforated drain board 12, upon which the larger pieces of dirt and refuse accumulate, the liquid passing through and collecting in the bottom, whence .it can. again be flushed onto'the floor. at will by The under side of the drawer may be formed with an exterior pocket 13, in which is mountstood, however, that the arrangement of the high speed brushes, whereby the water is swept from the floor and shot vertically upward until it clears the brushes, afterward encountering baffles and draining into the dirt receptacle, forms an important feature of my invention, and the details by which these results are attained may be varied without departing from my invention as described and set forth in the claims.

lo the drawings I have shown a preferred :-u:rangement in which the motor 5 geared to the brushes, 6, 6 by means of worms within the casings l5 and 16 and worm wheels within casings 17 l8 and 19 and the connecting shaft 20.

All of thedriving mechanism is preferably located outside the machine casing.

The vertical adjustment of the two wheels 2, 2, as shown in Fig. 9, is accomplished by means of screws 21 on the wheel bracket and knurled nuts 22 carred by the frame 1, so that the amount of bearing of the brushes and wiper upon the floor may be easily regulated while the machine is in use.

The high speed brushes remove practically all the water from the floor, but if any small amount remains it can be collected by a wiper or squeegee, preferably in the form of a vertically adjustable yieldingly mounted blade having a rubber or felt edge and hinged so as to extend across the front of the machine. A link 24 connects the hinged wiper to an annular ring 25 set into the side of a wheel 2, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. This ring is sulficiently loose to permit the Wheel to turn easily, yet has sufficient frictional engagement with the wheel so that when the machine is pushed forward the ring will rotate slightly and lift the wi er out of contact with the floor and when t e machine is drawn backward the ring will rotate in the opposite direction and drop the wiper into its working position. The floor will thereby be wiped at each backward movement of the machine.

As above stated, the brushes operate ac cording to a new principle and mode of opera t-ion. This is represented diagrammatically in Fig. 6.

The brushes arranged parallel and close together, rotate at high speed in opposite directions. They sweep the dirt and water from the floor in such manner as to project it vertically upward with considerable veloc ity. In practice the brushes are rotated at sufiicient speed to throw the water a proximately to a height of three feet above tefloor when the lid of the machine is removed. This upward delivery is substantially in the form of a thin wall or jet of water and spray and the action appears to be as follows Individual masses of liquid and dirt, discharged by centrifugal force from the periphery of a brush, either strike the periphery of the opposite brush and are impelled upward again, or they collide with similar masses thrown off from the other brush, resulting in the water and dirt shooting vertically upward clear of the brushes in the form of a substantially flat jet, as shown in Fig. 6. Practically all of the water and dirt is thrown off from the brushes during the first half revolution. almost none being carried around the periphery farther than is approximately indicated by the lines XX.. Consequently no baflles or guiding vanes are needed or employed close to the brushes for the purpose of removing liquid or dirt from the brushes, or for elevating it.

The flat jet or Wall of liquid and dirt shoots upward freely and without obstruction or bafiiing until it has risen clear of the brushes. Above the brushes, however, I provide means for deflecting the upward stream and for draining it from the brushes and into the dirt receptacle. One such means is shown in Fig. 3. It comprises a lid having its inner surfaces sloped outwardly and downwardly so that the water projected against it from underneath will run down the under surface into the drain troughs and thence into the dirt receptacle, as indicated by the arrows.

A modified baffle arrangement is shown in Fig. 7, where a third brushfi" is located in the path of the upward j et. This upper brush is revolved in the direction of the arrow, its purpose bein to receive the projected jet and to forcibly brush it into the receptacle. Any water failing to be diverted at the first contact of the upper brush is carried around the inside of the lid and is discharged into the drain trough.

The construction shown in Fig. 7 isuseful in certain kinds of work, although in general I prefer the arrangement shown in Fig. 3.

One supply of water may be used over again as often as may be desirable by merely opening the foot control valve 10 and allowing somewater to run out onto the floor. This Water is picked up by the machine and is returned to the dirt receptacle. So long as it is fit for use it can be let out and used over again.

For purpose of description I have described and illustrated my invention as applied to the scrubbing of floors. It will be understood that the machine is equally well adapted, by reason of its ability to use the liquid over again, to scrubbing carpets, oiling or polishing floors, and work of like nature. 7

It is only necessary in such case to employ a suitable liquid instead of water.

The sweeping and scrubbing device is characterized by its law of operation, which has been explained in the specification and which will be set forth in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1s:

1. In combination, a scrubbing machine including a casing, a dirt receptacle, a pair of cylindrical floor brushes disposed parallel and close together, means for rotating said brushes in opposite directions at speed sufficient to remove dirt and liquid from the floor and project it vertically upward clear of said brushes in a substantially fiat jet, and means intercepting said jet and diverting a portion of it into said dirt receptacle, said interceptin g means comprising a removable lid for that part of said casing directly above said brushes, the inner surfaces of said lid sloped outwardlyand downwardly, said casing having peripheral drain troughs beneath the lower edges of-said lid, for delivering a portion of the material to said receptacle.

2. In a floor scrubbing machine, a casing, a pair of cylindrical scrubbing brushes, means for revolving them at sufiicient speed to throw dirt and water vertically upward clear of said brushes, means for diverting the upwardly projected material and for draining it away from said brushes, a dirt receptacle comprising a removable drawer to receive said material, a horizontal screen in said drawer spaced above the bottom thereof for straining the material and means comprising a foot-actuated, spring-retractable valve in the end of said drawer near said brushes for controlling the return of a part of said material to the,

said casing, said drawer carrying a castor, a

transverse wiper hinged to the front of said caslng, an annular r1ng 1n frictional engagement with one of said wheels and a link connesting the hinged wiper to said ring.

In testimon whereof, I afiix my signature.

' F EDERICK S. FLOETER. 

